kaplanr@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Robert Kaplan) (02/05/90)
This weekend, I took a road trip from Boston to Ithaca, NY. It was a good trip, but I had two extremely frustrating experiences with coin phones: First, I had to call Binghamton (607-797) from a phone outside Cooperstown, using my ATT card. I dialed 10288-0-607-797-xxxx. "Your call cannot be completed as dialed, please check the number..." The NYTel phone said the default carrier was ATT, so I tried again using just 0-607-797-xxxx. Another intercept. Finally it occurred to me to look at the number I was calling from. Aha! 607 area code, Binghamton LATA. Out of curiosity I tried 10288-0-797-xxxx, but got the same intercept, so I gave up and dialed 0-797-xxxx. Another reason for universal 10-digit dialing! Second experience: Marshall Street, Syracuse NY. After a bit of hunting, I couldn't find a NYTel phone, and all I needed to make was a (I thought) local call to 315-682 (Manlius NY)[B. So I used a COCOT marked "Millicom Inc." No number listed for repair service. Dropped my two dimes and the nickel, got a dial tone, dialed 682-xxxx, and the DIAL TONE CAME RIGHT BACK! I hung up and it returned my coins. I should have stopped there, of course, but I tried again. After I dialed, the dial tone returned, the coins came back, and so I tried dropping them again. Still dial tone, and I couldn't even get my money back. Anyway, I made an immediate vow that no matter how desperate I get (except in life-threating emergencies), I will never again utilize COCOTs. They're not worth the trouble. I might also have some of those "OUT OF ORDER -- Misprogrammed Phone" stickers printed up :-) BTW, not all NET coin phones have the newfangled "record your name" style collect call feature; I used one in Lee MA (413-243 exchange) that went right to an operator. Scott Fybush Disclaimer: This may not even be my own opinion.